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​At over 2.5 m (8.2 feet) in length, the newly-described stem tetrapod Gaiasia jennyae was possibly the largest creature of its kind.

Gaiasia jennyae lived in what is now Namibia during the Early Permian epoch, some 280 million years ago.

“Most ideas about the early evolution of tetrapods come from fossils discovered from the extensive coal-producing ancient equatorial wetlands of what is now Europe and North America,” said Universidad de Buenos Aires paleontologist Claudia Marsicano and her colleagues.
“But Gaiasia jennyae comes from much further south, living in an area of the southern supercontinent Gondwana at around 55 degrees south.”

The skull and jaw structure indicate that Gaiasia jennyae had a powerful bite capable of capturing large prey.